Cyclamen
by taee
Summary: In the midst of an apocalypse, Aisha picks up a hitchhiker who shows that she has nothing to lose, but everything to live for. (ElsAi, Addra, Cheve) [ZombieApocalypseAU!]
1. Aisha

Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword (is this how you do it?)

warning: inexperienced swearing and like 90% dialogue

* * *

CYCLAMEN

When Aisha sees the red-haired man, she thinks it's about the craziest thing she's seen so far, for a number of reasons, and she's seen more than enough crazy for lifetimes.

First, there are dozens of bodies strewn carelessly in his vicinity.

Second, despite it being sometime in winter and cold enough to hurt, he wears an elbow-length, thin, black shirt with a wide collar. Before the zombies, or just bees, appeared, it might've been attractive, but now, with every inch of skin revealed, the chances of dying, or worse, turning, grow exponentially. And who would risk that? (A good amount, actually.)

Third, he sits on a lump of charred, gray flesh, casually, like it was a throne, and he was a king. Aisha could believe it too. There's confidence in the slope of his shoulders, a condescending tilt to his head, and power behind every movement.

He sticks out his thumb.

She slows to a stop, and before she can regret her decision, he's already climbing in and placing his swords on the dashboard. And before she can comprehend how he even got there that fast, he shoots her something between a grin and a smirk, gestures to the road ahead, put his disgusting grime covered feet on her beloved grandfather's car, and says, "Continue."

And because Aisha is a mature, reasonable person (unlike someone) who can see a swarm of bees approaching from the rearview mirror, she slams on the brakes, then pulls out the key in one smooth motion.

Red-hair, who also has black hair, raises an incredulous eyebrow, glancing behind them. He had noticed the bees too.

"Are you crazy?" He asks.

"I am not your personal chauffeur. You drive." Aisha challenges, crosses her arms with a vicious glare.

"Bitch, what-"

"Bitch? Did you just call me bitch? I'm your fucking savior! You should be bowing down to me and making songs about my kindness and beauty-"

"Why the hell would I sing about some insane brat who thinks she's something great-"

"I'm not insane!"

"You are!"

"You're the crazy one! Why are you wearing that?! And why were you sitting on a pile of dead bodies?"

"Why can't I wear what I want? Are you the fashion police or something? And I was tired, ok? You try fighting for two days straight and not falling over and fucking dying!"

"I wouldn't be able to fight for two days," Aisha says calmly, averting her gaze to her hands clenched around the steering wheel.

He blinks, startled by the abrupt change in pace. "O-of course you wouldn't be able to. You're probably weak as shit. Be glad I decided to get in your car and protect you. That's probably why you stopped, right? Because you were impressed by my looks and muscles."

A vein pops out on Aisha's forehead. "I wouldn't be able to fight for two days, since I would've taken care of all them in two minutes! Also, there's no way I'd be that shallow!"

"So you do think I'm hot." He smirks.

"A little," she concedes. "But don't get full of yourself, I'm still way out of your league."

"You're-" His eyes widen. "Shitshitshit. SHIT. FUCK."

"What? God, you're so noisy!" Aisha throws the car keys at him.

"YOU JUST THREW THE KEYS AT ME!"

"I DID!"

"WHY?"

"SHUT UP AND YOU'LL FIND OUT!"

"YOU DUMBASS!"

"YOU'RE THE DUMBASS!"

"LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

"AND WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU?"

"Because-" He clicks his tongue, then grabs Aisha by the collar, yanking her forward so fast her neck cracks.

Maybe it's the uncaring atmosphere the crazy man has, because despite the world falling apart around them, when Aisha finds her nose centimeters from his (nice) jaw, and her eyes level with his (nice) lips, she feels a blush erupt across her face. It reminds her of one of those shoujo mangas she used to read in middle school.

But the sound of shattering glass behind her reminds her of where she is. There are no happy endings to be found here.

Aisha is afraid to look.

Red-black-hair glances down. "Turn around," he commands.

She does, detachedly, already knowing, dreading, what she'll see, because this is her, his, their, reality now. The grotesque, disfigured face of a bee peers at them, its head tilting to the side curiously, like a child. For a moment, all Aisha does is stare. She's never been this close, so she takes the chance to absorb every detail. The scraps of gray flesh and black ooze caught on the sharp corners of her broken window. The sagging skin, the bugs, the shriveled eyes. The few strands of ginger hair. (Her friend had ginger hair too.) And the teeth, always the teeth. In sharp contrast with the overall rotting appearance, the teeth are always a perfect pearly white; Colgate advertisement worthy.

There's saliva pooling at one corner of its mouth, and a drop of it falls from the bee's upper right canine.

Like clockwork, the world around her explodes into motion.

The bee's head snaps up as it thrusts its arm into the car, and Aisha's eyes follow the appendage when it flops beside her leg, the cut side of it burnt black. She can't move.

Behind her, the man grasps her arm harshly. "Wake the fuck up. We're in the middle of a goddamn apocalypse; there's no life for the weak." He rolls down the passenger side window and beheads three zombies in one swing. Their bodies droop and block the open window."And you're being really fucking weak. It's fine if you can't fight, I can protect you. But if you're scared, I'll kill you. Right here. Right now." To emphasize his point, he picks up his other sword and impales it in the armless bee's neck, slicing Aisha's on the way as well. "The people who travel alone through this hellhole are either retarded and scared as fuck, or just plain fucking insane." He pauses, examining the back of her head, and when she doesn't move, he sighs. He somehow flings the impaled zombie into the path of the rest, knocking down the closest ones. "I was hoping that you'd be the second sort, but it looks like you're just another coward. See you in hell, I guess."

Aisha reinforces her hand with magic, but the sword aimed at her neck still cuts deep into her palm. "I. Am. Not. A. Coward." To say she's offended would be an understatement. She's enraged. Murderous. She makes a half turn, gives a full glare. His eyes are surprised, though his face stays stoic. "I don't know which "sort" I am, but don't you dare call me a coward. Then I'll kill you."

If possible, she grips his blade even tighter, imbuing it with fire magic, and pulls it forward out of his hands. Although it's not as good a channel as her staff, when it touches an encroaching bee, it proves sufficient enough to burn it to a crisp.

On the passenger side, a hand plunges through the flesh wall the crazy man had made. He rips off the forearm without even blinking. "Alright. I'll take your word for it. Well, I'm out of mana. What about you, didn't you say you could take care of them in two minutes?"

"Two seconds, dickhead."

He smirks, leaning closer to retrieve his sword. "Show me what you got, then."

"Pass me my staff."

"What?"

"My staff. Right there. Next to your swords. Give it to me."

"...I'm not your servant. Get it yourself."

And because Aisha is a mature person (unlike someone), she grabs her staff on her own. "Lightning shower!" She shouts.

Countless bolts of lightning rain down around them while Aisha squeezes her eyes shut and plugs her ears. When she returns her sight and hearing, she sees what she expected. A few dozen piles of scorched earth and ash surround them.

But someone's laughing.

It's him, of course. There's no one else here except for herself and him, and it's not her. Aisha hasn't laughed in eight years, not since before the bees, and she doubts she's capable of mustering up the strength to laugh anymore.

She stares.

"What? Are you appreciating my face now that we're out of danger?" He bursts out laughing again.

It's not so much the act of laughter that shocks her, it's the feeling behind it. His laughter, while not genuinely happy (because who is in these times), sounds like he found something amusing. Which is strange, since what is there to laugh about here other than the dead? "...I lost all appreciation for you when you tried to kill me."

"So? Didn't you try the same?"

"I did not."

"You basically told me to drive the car or get eaten by the bees."

"That's not the same. At least you had a choice! And you chose not to drive, but you still didn't get eaten."

"You're just in denial. Why are you always in denial? You keep denying that you tried to kill me, and you keep denying that you're not attracted to me." He shakes his head with a fake sigh. "Don't you think we should fix that problem, darling?"

Aisha shudders violently. "Holy mother of Jesus. Don't say that ever again. I think I'm going to die from how disgusted I feel right now."

"Got it." He gives her a mock salute, before folding his arms on top of the dashboard and resting his head on his arms. "Should I start a list of "Don't Say's" for you? So far there's COWARD, and DARLING. What about honey? Love?"

Aisha mirrors his position and gazes at him pensively.

"...You're scaring me, darling," he says, nervous. "If you keep looking I'll really start thinking you're in love with me."

"Fucking kill yourself."

"Harsh," he replies, though he sounds honestly relieved.

"...Why were you laughing?" She asks.

"Is that why you're so bothered? It's your 'Lightning shower!' thing. Who actually shouts out their attack name? I don't scream "RAGE CUTTERRRRRRR!" when I cut up bees, you know?"

She blinks. And then laughter bubbles out as natural as ever. It's the whole situation. His face is so ridiculous she can't help it, not to mention that fact that she hasn't had an actual, proper, non-serious interaction with anyone in years.

"See? Laughing isn't that miraculous. It's like fire. You only need the right conditions, and it comes easily."

"Where are you headed?" She asks abruptly.

"Lansing."

One word and Aisha's laughing again. Because it's Lansing, the home of the bees, and absolutely no one wants to go there, but of course he does, and coincidentally, so does she. "You're completely insane."

"I thought we established that already."

"We're two of a kind! I'll take you there."

"Seriously? Fucking great. I was planning on killing you and stealing your car if you wouldn't take me all the way there."

"As if you could," she scoffs, sitting up straight and stretching.

She has to rethink her words, though. Her vision is swimming with black dots, and her limbs feel like noodles. As she topples to the side, she thinks that he really could kill her.

But he catches her with warm and gentle hands, and then she thinks that he won't.

* * *

Author's Note: I didn't check for errors, so, sorry if you find anything. Also, sorry for weird formatting, idk how this works. Also, I might write three chapters for this, but it seems fine by itself so I won't feel too bad about ditching it. If I do write more, I'll skip a lot of stuff until the ending, bc I suck at writing action, and I'm too lazy and too busy to actually try. Thanks if you actually suffered through the story and got this far. And please leave feedback/advice, so that I can feel happy and improve on my writing.

and I realized in one of the lines i accidentally copied a line from Hunter x Hunter but I wrote it without thinking of HxH so I guess it should be ok?

And cyclamen is a flower; if you look up the meaning you can kind of tell what the general ending of the whole story will be


	2. Elsword

Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword

Clarifications since I probably won't add these into the story: People got magic when the zombies appeared. Why? Because I wanted there to be magic. And magic isn't equally divided, lots of people don't have it, and it's only elemental. Elsword only has fire, but Aisha has fire, water, and a little bit of earth and wind. I counted lightning as a form of fire magic. And magic energy itself, no matter the element, has power. In the previous chapter, Aisha covered her hand with magic to try and stop Elsword's sword. It's not super strong though, so a zombie could still bite through it. Zombies are pretty strong. Could punch and/or bite through a brick wall. And the classes are Aether Sage and Immortal. The story was originally supposed to be with Rune Master, but then Immortal came out and, well. His hair is just the best. And he looks cooler. Also, in the story, the clothes are different. Aisha's just wearing a white lab coat and a long sleeved shirt and long pants and tall, sturdy boots, and gloves that go up to her shoulders, but you can't see them bc it's under the coat sleeves. Elsword looks basically the same, just without all the metal petal things on his legs and he just has regular black gloves. I think that's it. Thanks!

* * *

ELSWORD

Aisha rarely dreams anymore.

Just living in itself is exhausting, both physically and mentally, so she figures whatever part of herself she'd had to spin false dreamscapes is dead on its feet as well.

She rarely dreams anymore, and if she does, it's usually a playback of her cheery childhood, starring her dead parents, her also dead little brother, and her missing grandfather.

"Happy times" is what she has those memories filed under, though now she's not so sure. Was she happy then? Aisha would say she was. She'd certainly felt the joy of just being young and uncaring.

Aisha might also say that she wasn't. If she was truly happy then, wouldn't she want to go back to that time? She doesn't though. What she has now is more real. Even if there is no happiness here, at least the world is honest. Brutal, yes, but honest.

Fair, even.

Back then, even before the truth came and quite literally nailed her in the gut, she must've already known it to some degree. She had always been smart. But maybe that was why she'd never acknowledged the truth. Because she was smart and she knew her entire family was made of liars, herself included, except for her brother. (He was the only honest one, so of course he was the first to die.)

Her grandfather and parents were the ones to tell the lies, but Aisha was the one who knew and pretended not to. They were all liars, and she'd played along, and when they died, they left her to carry the weight alone. She ran from it instead of taking her rightful responsibility, and she'd never forgive herself for that. (How could she, after all this?)

So Aisha rarely dreams anymore, but she's dreaming now.

It's the kitchen of their old house. She's sitting in her usual chair, the one on the left that faces the windows and the sink. The clock resting on the mantle to her right ticks softly in the background, and even her little cacti are there, next to the windows, accurate down to the number of leaves. The clock begins to chime.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

She stares out the window sluggishly, orange light and shadows resting on the planes of her face. It's warm in a suffocating way. Aisha feels like she's breathing and not at the same time.

Ten.

Eleven.

At the twelfth chime, her family appears like a procession. Her mother at the head. Then her father and grandfather, and her brother last. They greet Aisha and Aisha asks them how work at the lab was, if they're hungry. And they say it was good with a cheery smile, and yes, very hungry, and her brother's eyes look sicker than ever, but Aisha nods along and smiles back and forces herself to believe it. Then they eat and talk about mundane things. How was school, how are your friends, did you do anything fun today? And she says, good, good, not really. Then they ask the question that ended it and ends it all.

Do you want to come work in the lab with us next week? And so ends the dream.

But not this time.

This time, she only hears one pair of footsteps. They're steady and light, unlike any of her family members. Whoever it is stops directly behind her. She wants to turn but she can't. Cold hands slide down either side of her head and cup her face gently. Long, red hair flutters in the corner of her eye. All she wants to do is get up and run, but she's had enough running for a lifetime, so even when feeling returns to her body, she sits.

"Who-" she starts, breaking off when she realizes that the hair is the same vibrant red as that man's. Aisha whips her head around.

"Look." The hands tightening around her jaw prevent her from seeing the person's face, and slide dangerously close to her neck. It's a woman's voice. She has a sharp smile made of blindingly white teeth.

"Look," the woman repeats, directing Aisha's attention to the window. The light streaming inside the house blinds her, but then the clock is chiming again, and it's dark.

"Look."

Then they're outside.

"Look." She moves Aisha's gaze to the ground this time. "I will show you the future."

Aisha doesn't see the future. She sees two hands reaching out of the dirt, feels the woman's hands disappear. Almost trancelike, she reaches down to pull them out.

It's her parents. Dead, white teeth, but still them. They haven't changed a bit since she last saw them ten years ago.

"This is your future," the woman whispers again. "Isn't it wonderful?"

When she doesn't reply, her parents step away to her sides so that she can see the small, rapidly approaching, fire burning in the distance. The man she'd met earlier today sits in front of the fire, leaning against Aisha's car. He doesn't look up when they approach. The woman pushes Aisha forward, and her parents take her hands and lead her to the car's open door, revealing Aisha's prone body.

Her parents let go of her hands to touch the other Aisha. Other Aisha opens her eyes, but there are no eyes, only blank sockets. Her lips stretch into a smile and in the flickering light of the fire, her teeth shine like pearls.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Other Aisha and the woman ask her in unison, and Aisha would most definitely scream no if something disturbing hadn't just occurred to her.

"Grandfather-" she whirls around, catches a glimpse of a blindingly crazed smile, but then she blinks and there is nothing at all.

The first thing Aisha registers is light. The second thing she notices is the uncomfortable position she's in. She's stretched across the passenger and driver's seat, something heavy is on top of her stomach, and something sharp digs into her neck.

"You up?" Someone asks. Judging from the voice, it's the man from yesterday.

She groans, covering her face with a lazy forearm. "It's too bright."

"Stop. Fucking. Complaining," he grunts. A loud thud and subsequent jolt shake the car and shakes her arm off.

She decides she's still far too tired to deal with life right now, but life must be dealt with whether she wants to or not.. "...What are you doing to my car?"

A shadow falls over her face, letting her open her eyes more comfortably. It is indeed the man from yesterday. His face is stony. "Who are you?" She asks, and it's probably not the best thing to say, because he looks murderous all of a sudden.

"Who am I?" He closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Who am I, you ask? I'm sincerely regretting my decision of not throwing you out of the car right now. I didn't fight for two days straight and get into some mentally impaired stranger's car that was ALMOST OUT OF GAS BY THE WAY and save that stranger's life at least three times and then drive one hundred miles in the opposite direction of Lansing to get some fucking gas and then drive for NINE hours while avoiding at least twenty swarms of bees to get to a creepy as fuck forest only for said stranger to FORGET ALL ABOUT IT."

"Do you see my face here?" Aisha pokes at her cheek. "I'm positively crying with sympathy and remorse right now. Actually, you know what? I really don't give a shit about your suffering. I drove for five days straight, ok? And no I didn't forget, sadly." She sits up, sending the swords on her clattering to the floor. "Let's do a get to know you thing. Like in elementary school and stuff."

He stares at her blankly, jaw still tight with frustration.

Aisha rolls her eyes. "You know. My name is, your name is, favorite color, age, goals, reasons, things you hate, favorite food, etc, etc."

"...Pass me my swords."

She picks up both swords, which are surprisingly heavy, and shoves them even farther away. "I'm not giving weapons to someone who tried to kill me twice and threatened to kill me at least three times," she announces snippily.

Glaring balefully, he crosses his arms.

"I'll start, because you seem like a sad, socially awkward person with no friends," Aisha gives him her best patronizing smile. "Hi! I'm Aisha Landar! What's your name?"

"...Elsword."

"Last name."

"Sieghart."

"Nice to meet you, Elsword Sieghart!" She pulls her legs over to face him and holds out her hand. "Let's shake hands!"

Elsword doesn't do anything. Aisha is suddenly reminded of yesterday, when he one handedly ripped off an arm, and how he swings two five pound swords around easier than pencils, and thinks maybe asking for a handshake is a bad idea. But if Aisha has a lot of one anything, it's pride, so she doesn't back down. "Just shake the hand," she growls.

"You should be more friendly, Elsword, just shake her hand." She says cheerily, slinging an arm around Elsword's neck from behind.

Elsword grits his teeth, ignoring Aisha's outstretched hand to fling off the offending arm. "Stop doing that. And I'm already being friendly."

She tosses back her long green hair, examining her nails. "If you say so. But if you always act all tsun-tsun like that, Aisha might not like you anymore," she trills.

"I don't care."

"When have I ever liked him!?"

Elsword freezes all of a sudden, inching slowly towards the car. "Wait. Wait. Wait a second. Uh. Who the fuck are you? And where the actual fuck did you come from?" He stares at the green-haired woman like he's never met her before, which Aisha thinks is ridiculous.

"What do you mean? She's- huh." Aisha frowns, realizing she doesn't actually have any idea who the woman is, though there's an irritating voice in her head telling her that she does. She reaches back discreetly for her staff. "Actually yeah. Who….?"

"I'm Rena!" Rena smiles at them.

"Hey," Elsword whispers.

"What?" She whispers back.

"Why are we following her."

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Aisha stops walking to glare at him accusingly. "I'm only following her because you are."

Elsword stops as well to pick two fruits off a random tree, to eat, she thinks, but he defies her expectations as usual and throws one with the force of a bullet at her unprotected forehead. He eats the second one with obnoxiously loud crunches. "Oh. It's pretty good." he says, surprised.

"You ass…..!" Aisha's fist trembles. "What is your problem? Why do you have to solve everything with violence?"

He blinks at her. "I don't have to. I just want to. Also, watching you get mad is funny. Did you know your face turns purple when you're pissed?" He reaches for another fruit, but he never gets it when Rena appears out of nowhere once again and kicks him in the shin like a professional soccer player. Elsword topples to the ground next to Aisha, and Aisha thinks that those might even be tears at the corner of his eyes. (If she laughs, it's definitely justified.)

"Alright you two, listen up!" Rena plants her hands on her hips. "There are a few rules in this forest that you have to follow. I'll let you off this time, because I forgot to tell you."

"Let me off?! You broke my leg, how is that 'letting me off'!"

"Unless you want me to break it for real, I suggest you shut up." Rena holds up her fist with a spine-chilling grin. It's possibly the single most frightening thing Aisha has ever seen in her life, and Elsword seems to agree, as he swallows his retort, snapping his mouth shut audibly.

"Continuing on, if you guys don't follow the rules, I'll have to make you leave!"

Aisha speaks up for the two of them. "Then can we just leave? There's somewhere we're trying to go, and we're kind of rushing?" Beside her, Elsword nods emphatically.

"No," she replies.

"...Why?"

"Because I said so." Rena clears her throat. " Anyways, rule number one: No taking things without permission. Things meaning fruits, plants, dirt, water. Anything in this forest." She looks pointedly at Elsword. He looks away. "Let me demonstrate."

She pats the tree that Elsword had stolen fruit from, lovingly. "May I PLEASE-emphasis on please-have one of your _children_?"

" _Children?_ "

There's a sound of rustling, as the tree lowers one of its branches to Rena's outstretched hand. A fruit, correction, a _child_ , drops into her palm. Aisha considers the fact that she might still be dreaming, or Elsword drugged her while she was asleep, because to the extent of her knowledge, trees and _children_ don't move on command.

"Children?" Elsword mutters again. "Is she high?"

A feeling of deja vu washes over her when a _child_ ricochets off of his head and back into Rena's palm. She hands the _child_ over to Aisha, who isn't sure about eating it for two reasons. One, it touched Elsword. Two, it's a _child_ , Rena is scary, Elsword's leg is turning black and blue, and Aisha really doesn't want to risk that.

Her apprehension must show on her face, because Rena says, "It's ok to eat. I already asked the tree for you. Don't worry, it's tasty! And you," she says to Elsword. "You should be more careful of your actions and what you say in this forest. It already doesn't like you, ' _Creepy as fuck forest_ ', remember?"

"Ha. ha."

"Come on, we're moving too slow." She brushes her hands off briskly on her fluttery green dress and motions for them both to stand up.

They make eye contact with each other, silently coming to an agreement to not piss off Rena.

"Stop making bedroom eyes at each other and hurry up! AND BEFORE you two start another yelling match," she cuts off whatever protests the two might've yelled, "the second rule is to not yell. Never ever. The spirits don't like loud arguments. It makes them sad." As she talks, Rena runs a hand through the air, almost like she's touching a lover's face. Next to Rena, if Aisha squints, she can vaguely see the outline of someone else. Feathery black hair, a dark coat, a prosthetic arm, but then a gust of wind sends Rena's long hair flying, and the image dissolves.

Rena sends Aisha a secretive smile.

"...Did you see that?" Elsword asks her.

"The man?"

"What man?" He side-eyes her. "Are you high too?"

"...Possibly."

"Great. Now I have to deal with two cra-"

Aisha slaps a hand over his mouth. "Didn't you hear her? Watch what you say," she hisses

"You actually believe that?"

She points to his leg.

"...Point taken. But look."

The word brings up unpleasant memories of her dream from last night, but she brushes off the cold feeling around her neck.

"Look at the plants," Elsword continues.

Aisha looks, and if she was doubting her sanity before, she doubts it even more now. Previously, they stood close to Rena, so it was harder to see, but now from farther away, it's clear how the surrounding plants all stretch towards her. The grass leans in her direction, the trees stretch out their leaves, vines curl around her ankles. Even the sunlight seems to be directed on her.

And for the first time, Aisha notices that she's barefoot, and more importantly, her ears are pointed.

"Hey Elsword. Do you happen to believe in magical creatures?"

"We're not creatures!" Rena shouts back at them. "The correct term is 'being'! Make sure you use the right term, some of us get offended easily. And walk faster!"

"...I was going to say no, but I might've changed my mind."

"What a coincidence. Me too."

Ahead of them, the magical being walks around a bend, disappearing from their line of sight. They run to catch up.

In front of them is a still lake. In the middle of the lake is an island, and on the island, a house peeks out at them from behind a large tree. Rena is somehow already on the island, waving her arms at them.

Elsword squints. "What is she saying?"

A breeze brushes past them, carrying a whisper on it. " _Walk across the water._ "

So Aisha goes to the water, only to be stopped by Elsword's hand on her shoulder.

"Can you even swim?"

"No," she admits.

"Then why the hell are you even trying?"

Aisha frowns at him fiercely. "You know why I'm so good at magic?"

"Are you?"

She ignores him. "It's because we're friends. I like it, it likes me, it helps me out and I have faith in it."

"Do you even realize how little sense you're making right now?"

"It's just like you and your swords, ok? Now come on!" Aisha shoves him onto the water. Ripples spread from under his feet but he doesn't sink. "See?"

Elsword looks too queasy to reply.

About halfway to the island, he stops walking.

"What now?" she asks, exasperated.

"...How did you know that I was in a hurry?"

"In a hurry for what."

"To get to Lansing."

"I just figured, you know?" Aisha runs a hand through her hair. "It's Lansing. No one goes there. But _I_ needed to hurry, so I thought you might too."

"Huh."

"Why do you want to go there anyways?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me your reason."

"Fine," she agrees, because she's curious enough.

"There's…..someone that I need to kill," he says, looking at the sky.

Elsword looks back at her. "What about you?"

"What a coincidence." Aisha examines him. "Me too."

They don't ask any more than that.

* * *

A/N: I just realized, but absolutely nothing happens in this chapter. Originally, I wasn't planning on writing a real actual story for this, but as I was planning it out, a plot just kind of developed naturally, so hopefully I'll stay motivated and finish before April. Otherwise it'll be bad, because AP tests and SAT's and finals and stuff. Another really big reason for why I decided to write more was because of reviewers! I didn't understand the power of reviews that much before. I just read stuff and was happy, but now that I've started writing also, getting reviews and favorites and follows and just feedback makes people really happy. It's hard to describe in words, but it's a nice feeling. When I saw I got a review, which I honestly wasn't expecting, I literally screamed for ten minutes and rolled around on the floor and ended up stubbing my toe, but it was great anyway. For the second one, it was a similar reaction, just with less rolling and more running.

Thank you so much to the both of you, flonnechan love freak, and Guest. I'll glad you liked it! Yes, it's Aether Sage and Immortal, but mainly just for looks. I'm not sure how much the personalities will match up, but I tried to make it similar to what I think they'd be like. I also really like the apocalypse concept, which is why I wrote one too. And Guest! I'm glad you like my style, since I don't like it that much. It just feels choppy and overly formal and dramatic to me. I hope if I write more it'll get better. At least I can't get any worse? And as for the ending of the story. Well. You know how for some movies and books they have an ending that's really bittersweet? I highly dislike those. Some people say that if there was a happy end, or a sequel that wraps things up, the story wouldn't be as good, which I DISAGREE. I just want them to be happy. So I like happy ends. I'll probably never write a sad end. Ever. Why do people end ElsAi stories like that? I honestly don't know. I just don't know how to write fluffy things. I like fluffy things. They're soft. Can't write them. Nope. I'll try someday though.

And thanks also to everyone else who read my story. I'm grateful. I also count how many people read. It's kind of fun.


	3. Rena

Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword

I don't have a draft or outline of the story written out, so some things may be inconsistent with previous chapters. If you find something like that, please let me know!

* * *

RENA

A warm cup of something herbal sits snugly between Aisha's fingers. Elsword sniffs his drink cautiously.

"Drink your tea," Rena tells them. "Then I'll tell you why I brought you here."

"...Why should I care?" Elsword says.

"Just drink it!" She picks up the cup and forces the liquid down his throat.

Aisha, slightly panicked, brings the cup to her lips in a hurry as well. A slender hand on her wrist stops her. "You don't need to drink it. Watch." Rena points at Elsword, who sways drunkenly, slurred curse words slogging out of his throat, before toppling off of the wood stool.

Aisha grabs her staff, pointing it at the woman, slightly worried for Elsword, and just overall frustrated with the world. Mostly because it never gives her a break. She can deal with bees coming after her head and losing her family. She can fight, starve, run, but Aisha doesn't do well with betrayal.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. He's just asleep." She taps the end of Aisha's weapon. "You should put this away. Didn't I tell you? The spirits don't like arguments."

"...You said they don't like loud arguments," she replies, lowering her hand anyways.

"But actions speak louder than words. You should know." Rena looks at her pointedly. "Now sit down. We need to talk. "

* * *

"You know this is all your fault, right?"

"...Yes." The setting makes Aisha think back to her school days, when she sat obediently through class and was the teacher's pet. Except here, she was far from being Rena's favorite.

"If I were human, I'd probably hate you to death." Rena laughs. "But don't worry. I'm an elf. I don't hate you, I just mildly dislike you."

"I'm sorry," Aisha blurts out, because she really is.

The elf raises an eyebrow. "Does it matter? Feelings and words by themselves are useless." Her gaze softens a bit. "At least you're trying to fix it."

Aisha struggles to put her thoughts into words, but fails. So she settle for a simple, "I have to. There's nothing else I could do."

"You could keep hiding. Forget about your grandfather and your parents and that poor girl they made into a queen. You could pretend you're the same as everyone else and don't hold any more responsibility than they do."

"...I could."

"You could. But I doubt that you're that kind of person." Rena stands up abruptly and begins to pace. "That's enough small talk for now."

If that was her idea of small talk, Aisha wasn't looking forward to the rest.

"There are many beings in this world that humans will never see. We're a diverse bunch, but you can generally separate us magicals into three groups by our attitude towards humans. Dislike, neutral, and like. Well, no matter how we feel, we usually try to not get involved in your affairs, but your grandfather was fooling around with dark energy, and he actually created something disgusting out of it. We didn't think he'd get that far," she admits. "In your entire human history, no one has. And this so-called "apocalypse" was the result of his efforts. You know this much at least, don't you?"

"I know it." Her brother's death and the lab experiments were all part of his efforts.

She continues. "Then let me tell you about spirits. Spirits aren't really alive. At a center with a lot of energy, lingering emotions, wishes, regrets, and others gather and condense to form them." A glowing green spirit floats to her outstretched palm. "This is a wind element spirit. A center of magic generally can only produce spirits of one element. This forest is wind, and your Lansing is a water element center."

"Ok?" Aisha says, not sure what relevance this has to anything.

"I didn't finish yet!" Rena clears her throat. "Spirits have never gotten involved with humans. Maybe because humans are inherently non magical, maybe because you've never needed them. But for some reason, when you called them ten years ago, they came to you."

"Called them? I never called for them." To be more precise, she hadn't even known that they'd existed.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here now and you can use the spirits' power. You're the first witch, too," Rena adds.

"Uh...That's. Cool? Why are you telling me all this?"

" _Why_ are you _so_ impatient? I'm getting there! Remember when I told you and that brat not to argue? It's because spirits can be influenced by the expressed emotions of the living, particularly anger, hatred, sadness. When that happens, they become corrupted. Your grandfather must be an unhappy person full of negative emotions. He probably influenced the spirits and started manipulating them. And that's bad; we've seen what that does firsthand."

Aisha's grandfather hadn't always been like that. Once upon a time, he was a typical grandfather. He walked Aisha to school everyday when she was in elementary school and sometimes picked her up. He read his books and newspapers, took naps in the afternoon, told her stories at night. But that was when her grandmother was still alive.

* * *

 _Her grandfather meets her grandmother when they are in middle school. They first come together as inseparable best friends, then later as lovers. Soulmates, her grandmother says. And Aisha believes her, even though she's already destroyed her faith in anything supernatural after reading science textbooks from the local library. It just wasn't hard to believe at all. Passing strangers on the street could see how utterly at peace and in love they were with each other. From the way they smiled at the other, to the way they spoke, there was so much affection that it gave love to those around them as well. Watching them, Aisha wants her future relationship to be like theirs, though she soon changes her mind one day after a car rams into her beloved grandmother, killing her instantly._

 _It destroys her grandfather._

 _She never wants to become like that, Aisha thinks while watching her mother spoon feed her listless, soulless husk of a grandfather._

 _Aisha wants her grandfather to be normal and happy again. She wants her grandmother back, but she knows it isn't possible, so she gives up on it. Her grandfather doesn't. He never does._

 _A few months after Aisha's grandmother's death, her grandfather is suddenly overflowing with manic energy. He spends days on end at their family's laboratory, mumbling about a divine power and tries to resurrect her grandmother. It's scary, it's strange, and Aisha wants him to be normal again, but this seems better than before, when he couldn't even find the motivation to live, so she doesn't stop him. Neither do her parents, since, honestly, they're just as lost without her grandmother's love and joy, and they share the same wish as Aisha's grandfather. (Not to mention the fact that they're uncannily interested in the new energy her grandfather has and its potential.)_

 _After four years of endless experimentation, they succeed in creating the first prototype of a bee._

* * *

"-llo? HELLO?" A finger flicks Aisha's forehead painfully. "IS AISHA IN RIGHT NOW?" Rena's irritated face refocuses in front of her. "Did you fall asleep?"

"No, sorry. I was just remembering something." Aisha rubs at the surely red spot on her forehead, absently noting the loose piece of white cloth tied around her hand. A part of it is stained brownish red with her blood from the cut yesterday. She didn't tie it, so it must've been Elsword.

The table shudders when Rena slams her hand onto it to get Aisha's attention. "Pay. Attention. I'm not finished yet. Just sit there and listen carefully, ok?" She scowls at Aisha, who nods her head frantically.

"Have you ever wondered why those things can't be hurt by normal human weapons? It's because as corrupted as they are, they're still magic, and only magic can hurt magic. Which means that they're also causing a lot of trouble for the magical community. Another thing. News in our community travels fast. Do you get it?"

"...No? Get what?"

Rena rolls her eyes. "I know that the apocalypse is because of you, so everyone else is bound to know as well."

Aisha winces out of sheer guilt.

"And since I know that you're here trying to get to Lansing, everyone knows that too. The general consensus of the community right now is to not help your journey, because we want to see you struggle as you try and repent." Rena tilts her head, regarding Aisha impassively."You're the spirits' chosen, for some reason. It confused me, and many others, because why they'd choose such a coward," she spits, "is beyond me."

Aisha says nothing, stunned by the pure hatred in her eyes. This was far from "mildly dislike".

"Ah. Sorry." Rena blinks, dispelling her previous intensity. "I got a little emotional. It's just that I had to bury my friend because of you."

A familiar pain grips Aisha's heart as she bows her head. She looks up again, hearing Rena walk over to Elsword's prone body.

"I brought you here today for two reasons. One is to tell you of the expectations everyone has for you, and to warn you to not fail again. The second reason is because-"

She's cut off as a beam of brilliant light falls on Elsword from the heavens, sending a warm tingling throughout the room.

"-of that," she finishes.

Aisha scrambles around the table to see.

Rena motions for her to stand back. "You're the spirits' chosen," she repeats. "And he's the chosen one of the goddess. She asked me to bring him here so she could deliver a…...gift, of sorts."

"But why did you knock him out?"

"She said she'd send it when he falls unconscious."

"And why did it take so long?"

"...I'll let you figure that out later." Rena smiles coldly.

Aisha is about to ask what kind of gift it is, when the light coalesces into a man. He lands on Elsword's back in a tangle of long limbs.

She nearly chokes on air.

While Aisha gets over her shock (Because how is that, in any shape or form, a gift?), Rena pulls up the both of them by the collar, one in each hand.

"What the fuck…?" Elsword groans, clawing at Rena's hand and gawking incredulously at the man with gray hair.

He returns Elsword's gaze expressionlessly.

"The goddess gave you this." Rena shakes the man in Elsword's face. "Be grateful and accept him and take good care of him."

"What….?"

The elf tosses them both out of her house, then kicks the door shut. "Wait for a bit. I need to talk to Aisha some more."

The two men have an indecipherable conversation outside, and Elsword shouts back. "Hey, brat! We're going back to the car. Hurry up!"

"Don't steal my car!" Aisha screams back, irritated.

"Who would steal that piece of junk?" His voice sounds fainter, coming from farther away.

Rena snaps her fingers in Aisha's face. "Over here. I have more to say."

"Yes?"

"How were you planning on stopping the bees?"

"...I was going to ask my grandfather." It's only a half truth, but Rena seems to get the other unsaid part too.

"That's not the only way. Magic is powerful, but complicated magic, like your grandfather's, has many limitations. If you kill the queen, then everything else should stop as well."

"The queen?"

"You know who it is, right?"

"...I know."

"Kill her, and it won't have to be someone else." Rena's eyes flash gold. She knows who it is too, and they both know who the 'someone else' refers to.

"One last thing. When you see Raven, you know, that tallish guy with the metal arm, send him here, won't you?"

The way she says it makes Aisha feel it's not a request, so she agrees quietly.

As Rena shoos her out, she says, "Aisha. The spirits aren't alive or conscious, but they have an affinity for certain people. I trust their judgement. I'm sure you're stronger, better, than what you and others think."

With a slight upturn of her lips, she shuts the door in Aisha's face.

* * *

Aisha only ends up more confused than before.

* * *

In front of the car, Elsword and the other man are having a silent standoff.

Elsword breaks it off when she approaches. "Did she tell you what to do about him?" He jerks a thumb in the other's direction.

"No?" Aisha frowns. "But she said he was a 'gift', so he's probably useful. Who and what are you?"

"I am Ainchase Ishmael. Ain, if you'd like." Ain says, bowing his head slightly. "I am a holy being created from the Goddess' power."

"...So what can you do?" Elsword asks.

"The Goddess' power is like poison to corrupted spirits. I can purify the bees."

"Are you supposed to be like a bodyguard then?"

"No. I can only purify one."

Elsword throws his hands up in disbelief. "So you're like one of those single-use disposable wet wipes!"

Aisha punches him, smiling at Ain. "What do you mean by purify?'

"It means that I can revert them back to human."

About to throw a punch right back, Elsword freezes. "...That's bullshit."

"Believe what you will, but it is the Goddess' gift to you. One life." With that said, Ain walks to the back of the car and climbs into the trunk, closing it shut behind him.

There's an awkward pause where neither of them know what to do.

"...Let's go. I'll drive." Elsword wears an unreadable expression on his face.

She finds it strange that Elsword volunteers to drive when he'd been complaining in the morning about how tired he was because she'd fainted, but Aisha isn't one to say no to more rest, so she takes shotgun.

About thirty minutes after they exit the forest, purple mountains sprout over the horizon and it starts to rain.

She's about to doze off when Elsword speaks up.

"She said it was your fault."

Aisha can't breathe.

"...How much did you hear?" So this was what Rena meant. The gift from the Goddess should've been sent the instant he fell asleep. He heard it all.

"She said that her friend was dead because of you," Elsword says. "My sister is dead because of you."

Aisha opens her mouth to apologize, but Elsword cuts her off.

"Shut it. I don't want to hear it."

"I-"

"I'm going to Lansing to kill my sister, for good, because I can't stand that she's being used to do things that she hated. She would've rather died than hurt others."

"...You don't have to kill her. What about Ain?" Aisha says softly.

Elsword laughs caustically. "Don't tell me you actually believe that? Oh wait. You do. You have strong magic because you believe in it, right? Too bad you're too much of a fucking coward to do anything with it."

"Do you hate me?"

"Of course," he snarls. "My sister was the only one I had."

From the way his hands clench around the steering wheel, Aisha can tell that it's true.

A feeling similar to relief wells up within her, because hatred is what she needs.

When they get to Lansing, the queen will be there, and so will Aisha's grandfather. Ain will save Elsword's sister, since even if Elsword doesn't say it out loud, they all know that's what he wishes for.

Aisha will be there, and Elsword will be there too, full of hate. Hatred will make his swords faster, more vicious, so that after the apocalypse ends, he'll be the one to kill her when she's gone.

Hatred is a promise of her end, and that's exactly what she needs.

[EXTRAS]

 _Why didn't Rena, who cares so much about the forest, follow them back to the car?  
_ \- she was cooking soup, and it was about to boil over

 _How does Rena know so much?  
_ \- she can kind of communicate with the spirits, and they're everywhere

* * *

A/N:  
That took a really long time. I wasn't planning on updating this week bc I was busy with tests (I had three this week sadly) and bc I was working on a different fic. But oh well. This chapter was really hard to write, since I kept changing the plot and I had to come up with a bunch of cover stories to cover up future plot holes. And I had a lot of trouble with the ending.  
Hopefully this chapter made some things more clear, like why Aisha and Elsword are traveling. Ain is here! Some things might not match up and maybe weren't explained clearly enough (even I'm confused), so if you have questions, just ask.

Reply to reviews:  
Yes, Rena is supposed to be anemos here. Originally supposed to be daybreaker, but then she turned out a bit mean, so, not anymore!  
I forgot to say this in the last chapter, but Rena was able to sneak up on them and blend in using magic. So that's why Aisha thought she knew her from somewhere and why Elsword didn't notice.  
And yeah, during an apocalypse, finding someone with similar goals would really increase your bond, I think, but it's not happening with them sadly...  
I'm glad my style doesn't bother you, I'll practice hard!  
Thank you Guest, SenzaUchiha, RyutheNeko, and flonnechan love freak for reviewing!

Next chapter, some people (won't spoil) and maybe Raven will show up.  
Thanks to everyone who read!


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